3 April 2013 Why should you study polar science?

Journal

Why should you study polar science? You’ll have to watch the latest Greenland Minute to find out!

http://youtu.be/6JMT4-MdKtI

This is Willy the Wildcat – Libertyville High School’s mascot. He’s joining me on my trip to Greenland. Here we are leaving O’Hare Airport in Chicago. Look for more pictures of Willy in future journals!

A view of the Swiss Alps flying into Zurich, Switzerland.

Willy in Switzerland — Willy arrives in Zurich, Switzerland on the way to Copenhagen, Denmark on the way to Greenland. He’s already tired!

Why do I have to fly to Washington, DC, then Zurich, then Copenhagen, THEN Greenland? Well, the first two legs to DC and Zurich are due to the vagaries of International flight. This time of year there are only five flights to Greenland ... per week! And they all originate in Copenhagen. In May you can start catching flights out of Canada and Iceland, but lucky me will get to traverse the Atlantic four times in the next three weeks.

Question

THERE ARE NOW PRIZES FOR ANSWERING QUESTIONS! The first person to answer correctly and one other person chosen randomly will win a postcard from Greenland! I’ll let you know if you’ve won and you can e-mail me your address. Check back regularly to see if you’ve won.

Here’s the question: In the journal from 3-29, arctic ground squirrels curl themselves into a ball when hibernating. What geometric property does this minimize in order to maximize heat retention?

Bonus question: Mt. Rainier is the highest point in Washington, but what is the highest point in the lower 48?